The Twelve Pillars
by Teresa Shade
Summary: This is a tale set in a fictional 21st century. It is about two brothers and how their destinies mix into their world. Watch as they search for and protect the ones they love, and the darkness that may destroy them if they do not make the right choice.
1. The Darkness

The Darkness

A long time ago, many mystical creatures claimed the lands. Human and creature alike lived in harmony, until a great evil awoke. Twelve Pillars were created and bestowed upon hybrids of human and mythical beast. War broke out when the leader of the Pillars unleashed his powers...

2500 years ago

In a land covered by green grass and trees, a small sparrow glides through the sky. It flaps once, then twice, enjoying the night air. Looking around for food, the bird spots something in the distance. Coming closer, the bird sees a massive dark area. It slowly flies to the area, as the darkness becomes bigger and bigger. The bird feels fear, and attempts to fly away, as black tendrils begin sucking the poor creature in.

A distance away, a blond haired boy watches the bird. As the creature flies into the dark mass, the boy makes his move. On his back, a dragon sword lies in it's scabbard, waiting for it's time to be used. The boy begins walking towards the mass, feeling the dark energy emitting from it. The boy allows his own darkness to consume him, before sprinting and jumping into the darkness.

Once he enters, he begins running for several days, for the darkness consumes much of the land. He finds a temple, and many bodies of people, animals, and mythical beasts. He continues searching for what he came to search for.

A ways away, a boy keeps reliving his darkness. The red haired boy allows the darkness he has felt since he was born to take shape, devouring much of the land in his Madness. In his mind, he sees the bodies of the ones he drove to madness, and the ones he loved the most be destroyed. He huddles closer to himself, as he felt his brother enter his darkness.

He had stopped crying a long time ago, and in his madness, he destroyed his eyes, in hopes that the curse would stop. He senses a sword under his chin, and he looks up at the figure above him.

"Did you come to kill me, brother?" He asks, in hopes that he will die.

"No, I came here to save you, xxxxxxxxxxx," he replies quietly, as he hugs the smaller one.

"Why did Father curse us? Why do I have to have this madness?" he asks. "Why, Meliodas?"

"Because he wished to destroy everything. Because we messed up his plans," Meliodas replies, knocking the boy unconscious. The darkness surrounding the two goes straight into the red-haired boy, allowing the deep madness to leave the landscape.

Meliodas picks up the boy and carries him to places unknown.

Near the End of a fictional 19th Century

Meliodas begins his day by checking for his brother once again. Every once in a while, the boy finds clues or finds his brother in a forest, or in the middle of the desert. The only thing keeping him away from him is his love for Elizabeth, and his need to find a way to defeat his clan if they ever came back...


	2. The One Who Belongs Nowhere

The One Who Belongs Nowhere

80 Years Prior to Elizabeth's Search for the Sins and Ally

It is a beautiful day in England. Many birds flutter from one tree to another. Deer run across a vast grassy landscape. The sun beats down upon many rocks and a cave sits nearby a small river. A boy watches all of this for he cannot do much for fun. A war is being raged once again, and his father disallowed him from coming back home until he found his place.

Yet, how could he find out how to survive when he has only one leg? He holds his crutches, trying to stay balanced. The boy looks longingly at the small village he is from. Looking towards that direction, he is jumped by several boys and men from his village. The group each holds a weapon and prepares to attack the poor teen.

A loud growl is heard, and the men begin backing off, fearing the great danger that lurks in the dark areas of the woods. The boys, however, attack the teen. Something knocks the group away from the teen, and the group looks at a massive creature.

Red scales cover the serpentine lizard like creature, and deep dark red wings the length of several large men looms ominously over the group.

"It's the Red Dragon!"

"Run!"

"Holy shit!"

The group runs as the dragon breaths fire at them. The dragon watches as the group runs, and looks at the youth under itself. The boy begins praying, wishing for a way to escape.

"Do not worry, young child. I have watched you come here for a long time," the dragon replies in a deep voice.

"I have heard rumors you kill young children..." he says, hoping for a good answer.

"I have lived in this land because of the abundance of prey. I only wish to live in peace, yet your kind seeks me out for the riches I do not possess," the dragon replies. "You humans, I have not eaten any humans for a very long time."

The dragon shifts position, keeping his right eye closed. The boy looks at the dragon, wondering why it keeps that one eye closed.

"Why do you keep your right eye closed?"

"It is my curse. Follow me, if you wish to stay safe. Better yet, climb unto my back," he tells the boy.

"What's your name? My name is Evan James."

"Xxxxxxxxx. Humans cannot speak my language, so I just go by whatever name humans give me."

The boy climbs up the dragon, with some help from the creature. Evan notices that the dragon is quite small compared to normal dragons. The red dragon moves, and brings it's wings in. Walking a ways, the dragons moves into the cave near the river. The boy is surprised to see the inside looks like a small cottage, too small for a dragon. The dragon lets the boy down, and slowly transforms. About five minutes later, a naked boy with fire red hair and a deep red eye looks at the taller youth.

"My curse is my eye, but my heritage is that of a dragon, I would rather not say what the other half is. I am near invulnerable to anything, save for my half brother. I have lived for several thousand years, looking for eleven others. During my time here, I have gone into your village. What the people there did to you after you were born was cruel. Your mum died giving birth, and your father tried his hardest..." the boy says, his voice heavily British.

"My dad was sent off to war, to help in the front lines. This is not the first time, yet it is the first time the villagers came after me..." Evan replies.

The boy drapes a deerskin over himself and walks up to the boy. Looking up at him, he asks, "Do you wish to live with me? I can keep you safe. That is my reason to live here. I promised my brother that I would use my curse to help humans out, and if you wish, I can go into the village with you."

Evan thinks it over, just as the two hear shouting at the mouth of the cage. The redhead shifts into his dragon form.

Fourteen Years Prior to Elizabeth's Search

"Caa~ptttttain! Why are you so~interested about some urban leg~eennnd," Ban asks his leader, bored out of his mind.

"Oh, I might know who is really behind the legend is all," Meliodas says, as he reads a newspaper.

Strange Footprints Spotted: Dragons?!?


	3. The Sins Intervene

**The Sins Intervene**

 _Fourteen Years Prior to Elizabeth's search for the Sins_

To many onlookers, it would be quite strange to watch seven heavily armored people walking in a nice, peaceful forest. It would be even stranger to know that only two of them had actually had armor on, and that half of them were on vacation.

The hottest of the group appeared to be a gray haired man with a witty smirk, as if he would steal anything from anyone. The man was humming while he walked, not really caring what was going on. All he knew was the captain was looking for something 'dangerous.' Well, the Captain said something along the lines of 'be careful, but not too careful, and don't get mad at ALL!' So, here he was, trying to find some mystical cave with some red demon dragon or somethin'.

"So, Capt~ain...is this some~one ye know?" Ban asked his captain.

"Probably," the smaller said, smiling his usual smile.

The 'Captain appeared to be a child, his blond hair catching the glint of the sun. It has been a while since he had a break. He wore a nice white shirt and a vest, and seemed very carefree. In fact, he just wanted to be sure that this wasn't a hoax. It has been several decades since he visited his brother to be sure that the Darkness hasn't returned. Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't. He would have probably felt if it did or not. His green eyes noticed the cave entrance, because of what the townsfolk told him.

'The dragon lives in the cave, and he only allows those with...problems, or are dying of old age into his cave. He doesn't like those who take his 'family' away, at least according to rumors,' a representative of the Red Dragon Cave Co. told them earlier.

'Several times, our children were born with powers, but they ended up injuring themselves. So we offered them to the dragon. Half of us believe he eats them. Honestly, I have met one of his children. A red haired boy...' an avid fan of the Red Dragon.

'He is a menace and curse to our town! Whenever a gang comes into out town, he sends out his red haired kid to kill them off! Many times that kid 'helps' us, our town ends up on fire! And who knows what he does to our people! Probably eats them!'

Thus, leading the Sins to finding this cave. Meliodas and Ban walk to entrance of the cave. The other five attempt to follow them.

"Wait here, comrades. It may not be the one I am looking for," Meliodas said as he waits in front of the cave. "Ban has to come to help my suspicion."

"'Ello! Any mystery dragons in here? We've come to getcha!" Ban yelled towards the cave, hearing his voice bounce on the cave walls.

Several minutes pass, leading two of the sins guarding the back to sit down. A large armor suite slowly unravels, revealing a boy with purple-ish hair. He sits down, and seemingly listens to what is going on. The other remains in their armor, and begins to read a book. The strange armored figure appears to be bored of the wait.

"Yo, Gowther! Usually you don't show yourself!~" Ban yells, just as a deep voice growls out:

"Who goes there, friend or foe?"

"Does it matt~er?" Ban sung out.

"Leave a gift and leave, or you will perish," the voice replies.

Ban chuckled.

Meliodas begins walking towards the cave, causing his teammates to wonder if he was suicidal. Merlin felt many magic powers within the cave, yet one of them seemed small yet dangerous.

Ban follows after him, and half an hour later, twenty odd people run out of the cave, their ages ranging from several years old to late eighties. Meliodas and Ban are last to exit.

"We need to get these people out of here!" Meliodas yelled, just as flames appear behind him.

King attempts to grab the people with his Chastiefol. Just as he grabs the group, one of the older folk uses her power to teleport the group towards the cave entrance.

A roar is heard, and a scaly serpent like creature slithered out, with the rest of it's body following. The creature had reptilian legs on each side of it's body, and spikes covering the back. Two long horns stand tall on the fearsome creature's head. The cave entrance is about twenty feet tall, so the dragon stands just under fifteen feet tall on all four legs. The red dragon casually walks towards the Sins, growling as it does so.

Diane, King, and Escanor stand ground, while waiting for their captain's next command.

"We don't want to leave! Devin has protected us from persecution from the townsfolk for many years!" An old man yells, standing ground under the dragon.

"Hey, lil bro!" Meliodas yelled at the dragon.

The creature looks at him, and the atmosphere changes. Ban readies his Fox Hunt, in case he has to use deadly force to defeat such a strange dragon. Normally, dragons kill and eat humans. The people standing under the dragon seem to want to protect it.

The dragon growls and lunges at Meliodas, causing the Sins to jump to action. Meliodas stands still as the dragon attacks. Just as the dragon attacks, Ban unleashes Fox Hunt.

The dragon slows down, feeling confused as its' energy dwindles. Then, it begins to shift, mist forms around the dragon. Several minutes later, a boy smaller than Meliodas stands there, naked. His well toned muscles show that he knows how to fight, and his red eyes hunger for blood. Red spiky hair flows in the wind, like fire about to consume the forest.

"Meli~odas..." the strange boy growled out.

"It's been a while, brother," Meliodas replied.

The boy runs at Meliodas, hunger for a fight clear in his eyes. He uppercuts Meliodas in the jaw, seemingly dislocating it, just as Meliodas kicks him in the gut. Ban jumps in, hitting both of them with the strength from his Fox Hunt.

"Captain! Ban, you idiot!" Diane yelled, trying not to look at the naked red haired boy.

"Attack the enemy, not your friend!" King piped out.

The boy spews fire at both of them, and runs. Ban and Meliodas are about to run, when Gowther intercepts them.

"I have read his memories, and I know how to defeat him. Just give me five minutes to calm him down. According to captain, xxxxx lost someone he loved dearly. His anger will lead to something called Madness that can destroy a whole country," Gowther said, seeing a bit of surprise in Meliodas' eyes.

"Go ahead."

Several minutes passed since Gowther went to find the boy. In those several minutes, Meliodas and most of the Sins explored the cave, feeling quite surprised to note that the inside looked like a cottage to house many people. The group that lived there continued to follow them, muttering about how 'Devin' was going to be very mad that outsiders invaded their homes.

"Is that what he calls himself nowadays?" Meliodas asked.

"How do you know him, anyways?" One of the children asked.

"He is my brother~" Meliodas sung out, Ban must be getting to him again. "How do you know him?"

"He saved many of us from a town that hates those with powers or are born with disabilities, or sometimes both. He sometimes goes into the village, but he stopped when he was almost hit by a 'magical iron horse,'" one of the elders replied.

"That 'horse' is called a 'car,' a machine to drive you humans around in," King told them. He still wanted to know more about this 'Devin' person.

"Please don't hurt him! He's a nice person!" Several of the children yelled.

King was laying on his pillow, near the ceiling. Merlin was leaning against the wall, pondering over questions to ask the captain later, and experiments she could possibly do on the dragon boy. Escanor nervously twiddled his fingers, hoping that he wouldn't have to fight. It was just a few months ago that he fought the vampire clan, and fighting a dragon boy seemed a bit far off. Ban kept feeling the stares of several women and children. He smirked at them, causing the kids to smile in joy, and the women to swoon. Meliodas, however, seemed to be playing with the dragon hilt, deep in his memories. Memories that he would rather stay away from.

An hour passed, and the seventh Sin and the dragon boy returned. Gowther held the boy bridle style, with the boy in deep sleep. Several of the group help Gowther set the boy on one of the couches in the lounge area. Meliodas and Ban walk over, one wanted to make sure his brother was alright, while the other wanted to fight.

"I have also called the Holy Knights and the authorities. The town was in shock when they learned that one of their own was kidnapped by the dragon. I have, however, read the boy's memories. The kidnapped boy actually sought him out because of the local rumors. We came out here because captain thought the dragon was his brother, which he is quite right," Gowther told the group.

Meliodas sits next to Devin, wondering about how his brother's personality may be. According to the group, Devin is quite nice, and knows when to leave a scene where the people are mad about something or another.

King idly lands next to the two, with Escanor slowly approaching. Merlin just watched, wondering why Meliodas wants to find Devin. Gowther continues to stand next to the two brothers, watching how the captain relaxes. The couch does not face any walls, so Ban stands right above the mystery known as Devin.

"So, how old is he?" Ban asked.

"Old enough," Meliodas replied.

The boy jolts awake, hitting Ban right in the jaw. This sends the man flying. Several people jump out of the way, just as the ridiculous man crashes through a wall.

"Wow, he may be just as fun as you, captain~!"


	4. A Changing World

**A Changing World**

 _'I am sorry...'_ were the only words Devin could remember before waking up in the woods. He remembers very little about what happened in the kingdom of Lyones. He found that his dragon form was becoming harder to turn into as time went on, and it angered him. The only thing he knows is that he must find his brother.

Walking along one of the many paths humans have created in the forest, he stumbles across a group of people talking about a strange bar that opened up recently in one of the larger ravines near the forest. Deciding that the humans must be a bit crazed, he continues on with his path. His red hair wildly flies in the wind as he walks towards one of the raging rivers. He looks around, making sure no one is watching, while not realizing he is being watched. He turns into his dragon form, and begins hunting for fish and whatever other game he could find.

"Found you, Ally of the Seven Deadly Sins!!" Someone shouts, causing the dragon boy to flinch.

Something else that has happened in the five years since forgetting many things were the bloody Holy Knights that followed him everywhere. He has been trying to hide, but his constant need for meat has had him at a disadvantage for quite a while. He has, however, tried to learn where his brother and the other Sins were. All he knows is that a strange giant pig had been seen in multiple areas in the world.

"Grrrr..."

He attempts to escape, but the knight shows his anger at the Ally as a sword finds it's way at the dragon's throat. Quickly falling backwards, the dragon attempts to run, not wanting his ever growing Madness to take control again.

He roars again, and breathes fire at the man, hoping not to kill him. He honestly likes the taste of human flesh, but he tries not killing people anymore, ever since what happened oh so long ago. But, that is a story for another time.

"Holy Blast!" The knight yells, pulling out a .44 revolver.

The blast sends the poor dragon towards the lower area of the river, right near a roaring waterfall. He tries getting to his feet as the knight approaches him.

"This is for killing our Grandmaster! Second blast, unholy fire, release!"

"Full counter!"

The blast sends the man several miles out, as the dragon looks downwards. He shifts into his red haired form. Sadly, he left his clothing behind so he stands naked, next to his fully clothed brother. Meliodas chuckles at him, knowing that Devin was barely able to control his transformation from 'human' to 'dragon.' He had full control, but that was thousands of years ago.

Devin looks at the other boy with a very angry expression. Meliodas smiles, happy that he found his small brother.

"At least its just been five years instead of twenty or a hundred years," Meliodas says.

"I would rather have found Ban or Escanor..."

"Ah, common! You are never happy to see me!" Meliodas yelled, with a smirk on his face.

"Whatever, I'm hungry."

A short time later found the brothers in the ravine. Meliodas led the boy to a large cottage like structure, near a group of trees. Devin senses a strange presence, and he stands guard. Meliodas places his hand in front of the boy, knowing that Devin can sense many animals and people from miles away. Trotting is heard, as Devin manages to stay calm.

A portly pink pig looks at the confused boy, and snorts. The pig slowly approaches the boy, while showing little to no fear. Devin stares at the pig, the only thought on his mind was how much he wanted meat.

"So, who's this chum?" the pig asks.

"My brother, kinda...his name is Devin," Meliodas tells the pig.

"The pig can talk?!?" Devin yelps.

"Not so loud, weirdo! And why is there a random naked kid in the forest??" the pig yells.

"I've been wandering the woods in my dragon and human form for a while trying to look for the Sins."

"That pretty much the same as Hawk and I, well, minus the dragon and human transformations. We are trying to bring the Sins together to find out what happened five years ago. All I remember is someone saying sorry..." Meliodas states.

"I was just halfway up the tower when everything went black, and someone saying sorry. I honestly dunno what they were sorry about. Since then, I can't use my full powers anymore," Devin says.

"Well, we should probably head inside. It is getting dark, afterall."

Sometime later, a blue light is seen in the bar. Meliodas and Hawk are busy helping customers, yet both notice the change in atmosphere. It becomes quite busy, so the two continue serving customers. Many of them talked of the red dragon killing several small children and cattle, while others talked of a strange boy showing up in town. A cloaked figure orders only alcohol, and sits calmly as the place clears up. As the last people leave, the cloaked figure drops some money and a letter.

"Hey, sir! You forgot something!" Meliodas shouts, while trying to chase after the figure.

Not seeing the figure, he heads back to the bar. There are only three rooms, so his brother decided to sleep in Meliodas' room, because of special reasons. Meliodas stays down in the bar section, and skims over the letter.

 _Meliodas and Devin,_

 _I have been following you two around for quite some time. Know that when people know of your demonic powers, I will be there to protect the peace that should had been all that time ago. The humans believe that the Giant, Fairy, Goddess and Demon races are the only ones, yet, they are wrong. Make sure that Devin remembers everything someday._

 _~The One Who Knows The Truth_

 _PS: Don't allow the darkness to take hold again. The World doesn't need that._

"That was weird!" Hawk yells, as he also reads the letter.

"Quite. We will have to really be on guard now..." Meliodas says, as he carries the letter with him to bed.


	5. The Hidden

**The Hidden**

12

It was an unusually warm night for the city of Lyoness. The fortress like government buildings took up a good five percent of the city, leaving enough for developement for more housing outside of the city. A fence surrounds the buildings, letting citizens know where they belong. At one point, the buildings were more accessable to the people, until the fateful day ten years ago. The highest ranking officials, aptly named the Seven Deadly sins and the Ally, killed off the leader of the Holy Knights.

On that fateful day, the city felt a deep chill over a fifty mile radius of the buildings. The day of death of the Grand Master, bodies of numerous Holy Knights were discovered dead.

The Sins were apprehended, yet the Ally vanished. The Ally, a huge red dragon, was brought in by the Sins to keep the lands safe. When it disappeared, all mythical beasts were hunted. Giants, Fairies, and werepeople were kicked out of the city, to live in isolation, far from human society.

Yet, on certain nights, the current Grand Masters were visited by one cloaked in darkness.

12

Dreyfus walks towards the meeting place, up in one of the condemned towers. He often met with someone who knows much about the world, yet never revealed themselves. The only thing he knew was...

"Constantine? I have come for answers," Dreyfus states, sensing the figured shrouded in mystery and darkness.

"Hm, thou wish to speak with thy Darkness, once more?" A childlike voices out, it's voice harmoniously bouncing off the walls of the small room.

"You told me about how you betray many. Will you betray humanity?"

Silence overtakes the small room, in the large building. Childlike laughter resounds in the darkness. Dreyfus can see the grin under the small being's hooded overcoat.

"Will I betray humanity? Will humanity betray others? Will others betray humanity? It doth matter, for Darkness taketh all. Whether you are of thine light, or of thine darkness. There shall be always, many sides to this enigma of betrayal," the child bounces back.

"Constantine, I have tried doing research on you. You are completely unknown to the world. I have asked you many questions about the other races, and yet, I have no idea of what you are."

"Doth it matter? I am me, you are you."

"Do you have any thought on the coming Holy War?"

"What you and Hendy will do, shall bring forth chaos and destruction, and will lead to something far more dangerous then you expect. Yet, all shall play a role in this. The Sins will be a big part in starting the Holy War, yet," the child says.

"What do you mean?"

"Also, use of a dark force to create something entirely different shall lead to great downfall. I wish for you to have a good sleep, for I have one more to visit," the child said, disappearing in an instant, leading the taller to wonder what the child meant.

12

It remains dark in the office building of the government sanctioned zone. Not a mouse stirs in the hallways, all of the secretaries have left. A room sits, with multiple books on the Demon race.

A man sits at the desk, waiting for his almost monthly night visitor. The man's grey hair sways as a cold breeze comes from inside of the building. He knows that his visitor will be there shortly.

An icy feeling takes hold of the hallways, as the childlike figure idly uses it's ice magic to skate towards the office. The grin still on it's face, for the talk it had with another man just a short time earlier.

"I have felt the darkness from the Demon you have used. I have to say, humans are funny creatures. Building, destroying, and rebuilding, over and over again. Oh, how times never seem to change. The question is, when will the Sins disrupt this 'monumental' moment?" The voice sings out, in a sort of high spirit.

"I have waited for almost two months, Constantine. Will the Sins intervene?"

"Whether they intervene or not depends on the darkness and the light. Whether you wish to twist the people also depends on your faith of using those of darkness. To live or to die. Which is your choice?"

"I wish to live. I wish to know about demons and to vanquish them once and for all! To create a world where humans are the top!"

"Hm, you shall learn soon..." the figure vanishes, leading the man to rethink his demon project.


	6. The Unknown Knight

**The Unknown Knight**

12

Devin felt quite tired. He often felt this way after sleeping, yet, his brother would tell him nothing of why he felt sleepy. It has been ten years since that awful day, and yet he continued avoiding the burning question. What happened back then?

Meliodas, knowing his brother's inner turmoil, allowed him to stay outside and hunt. Devin would then create a nice fire not too far from the tavern, and offer food to wandering strangers, who reatfully took his food, giving him a donation of information or money. Often, holy knights and mercenaries would visit, and gripe about how they can't find the Sins anywhere. Honestly, Devin had no care in the world for returning to Lyoness. His thoughts on the matter were disrupted, as he heard clanging chainmail making it's way towards the tavern.

12

Meliodas stares at the unconscious girl laying on his bed. He gropes her, 'checking' to make sure she was a she. Satisfied at that, he recieves a kicked to his backside and a whack to the top of his head, as he stares at the two angry ones, a pig and a boy. The boy is just a few inches taller, and his red hairs waves in the wind.

"Devin, Hawk, don't worry. I was just 'checking' to make sure this was a female," Meliodas says with a smirk.

"You are always an idiot, huh," Devin says.

"Takes one to know one," Meliodas states.

"Unless both of them are idiotic brothers! Honestly!" Hawk shouts. "Also, aren't you supposed to be outside cooking?"

"Hey, Devin? Do you know how to make roasted pork?"

"I'm not cooking the only one who can clean up this place, Meli--"

"Mmm," the girl groans, her grey hair moving as she sits up.

She stares at the two boys and pig, one of her eyes covered by her hair. She gives a shout, causing all three to jump.

"Aw! It's a piggy! My dad promised to give me one for many years!" she shouts.

"Um..." Devin tries to talk.

"Oh, I'm sorry for walking into your tavern! My name is Elizabeth! I am in search of the Seven Sins and the Ally!" She explains excitedly.

"It's alright," Meliodas says, smirking.

"We are also looking for info, just for our own reasons," Devin states.

"Aren't they traitors to the kingdom?" Hawk asks.

Devin didn't really care if he was an enemy or not. He just really missed some of the Sins. Except for Ban and Merlin, he found the others quite enjoyable. He just couldn't really end up in a fight, or he goes mad from all of the anger and bloodlust.

"You want something to eat?" Meliodas asks.

"If it's alright?"

12

Devin stands next to the suit of armor, watching Meliodas feed Elizabeth. He sighs as he knows she won't like his brother's food. In his opinion, the best food is whatever he catches in the wilderness, and Ban's cooking. Devin doesn't really fight very much, mostly because of his fear of destruction.

Elizabeth seems to be crying as she tries Meliodas' cooking, while saying 'thank you.' This surprises the dragon boy for a minute, before a knock is heard at the door.

"Open up!"

"We know you have the rusted knight!"

Both brothers share a look, as Meliodas walks up to the door. Devin helps Hawk put on the armor, quietly laughing while doing it. If Devin is honest about something, roasted pork on a skewer sounds odd, especially with what Hawk eats.

"I'm right here!" The pig says, walking up to the men.

"What is this?" one of the men asks.

Devin quickly grabs Elizabeth's wrist, pulling her to the back of the tavern, where a door sits. Opening the door, he and the girl make a run for it, hearing crashing from behind them. Jumping over many tree roots, the two end up near a canyon. Hawk and Meliodas appear next to them, and Elizabeth begins speaking.

"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this!"

Suddenly, the ground begins to fall. Devin and Meliodas, both feeling either annoyed or bored, grab pig and girl as the cliff falls downwards. A man in a more futuristic suit of armor watches with interest as the four fall.

"Aw, three casualties. Men, write that down!" His booming voice echoes throughout the small space.

Two thumps are heard as he says this, causing him to look to the left. A red dragon sits casually, staring dead at the man. The blond young man from earlier smirks at him, with the silver haired girl blushing brightly. The small pig that was with them runs away from the fight, yelling something about how the dragon's talon cut him and how he was going to tell his mom.

"Aw! This must be the Ally! But who is this young man??" He asks.

Part of the blond's shirt sleeve is ripped, and Elizabeth sees rippling muscles. What causes her breath to hitch was the tattoo along his arm. A swirling dragon, but unlike the red dragon near them, rests on his shoulder.

"Aw, Meliodas! But how are you so young!? Why have you not changed!?"

The man jumps at the dragon, but is stopped as the smaller seemingly deflects him with a broken blade. He tries a harder attack, but is knocked far into the air. Angered at this, he yells something incoherently, something Devin hears while in his dragon form.

"No! I can't be defeated by monsters!"

Just as the man says this, the dragon's eyes go from a mildly interested look to one with killer intent. Slowing flying above the scared knights, he heads straight towards them. Talons out, fangs glaring, he lunges at them. Meliodas, already sensing the dwindling amount of peace in Devin, rushes out towards the rampaging dragon.

"Full counter!" Meliodas yells out, just as the dragon strikes.

The dragon is sent flying towards Elizabeth. As this happens, Hawk's mom comes out of nowhere, as the dragon hits the pig. As the dragon falls unconscious, he reverts slowly back to his 'human' side. It is at this point that the men realize who the girl is.

"Princess!"

Meliodas gives an odd look at the girl, as she realizes she will be questioned later on. He grabs her and runs off to the giant pig, picking up his brother on the way. A ladder is pushed downwards as Hawk looks down at them.

"Well, get on! I don't wanna be a tendered pork because of these weak guys!"


	7. A Nice Meeting

**A Nice Meeting**

12

As Devin sleeps, Meliodas tells Elizabeth of the Sins and how they were wrongly accused. As she listens, Devin growls in his sleep. Meliodas looks outside, and pulls Elizabeth over to his room on the second floor.

"He may be asleep for a few days," Meliodas quickly says.

"Um, ok..." Elizabeth replies.

"So, wanna cuddle?" Meliodas asks, a twinkle in his eyes as he points at the bed.

Suddenly, he is tied up as Hawk stands near him, rope in his hooves. Meliodas sighs as Hawk wraps him up.

"Can't have this idiot perving out on you, Elizabeth!" Hawk yells.

"Aw, common! She's a hotty!"

12

Darkness. Empty, eternal. Void of any life. That was all the boy could see. Devin tried focusing, looking for some sign of light, of color. As he looked on, he failed the see the light. He tried walking forward, only seeing darkness. A childish laugh filled the void, making him look everywhere, anywhere.

"He~llo!" The childlike voice sang out.

"Who...who are you?"

The boy sees a white space with a child like figure standing in the center of it. As Devin got closer, the shape became darker and darker, as the space stayed white.

"Oh, I don't remember. Do _you_ remember the Darkness?" The shape asks, cocking it's head to the side.

"What darkness?"

"The Darkness that creates or destroys..."

Devin woke with a start, startling the child-like brownish haired boy. Hovering on his pillow, King stares at the boy. A few feet away, Ban sleeps happily. Meliodas, in the time Devin was asleep, managed to find several of the Sins.

"Aw, Devin! Long time no see, bud!" King happily says.

"Its only been a decade, 'snot long," Devin replies, yawning.

"'Cording to the cap, you've been asleep for a month. Still can't control yourself?" Ban says.

"Eh, I haven't been able to sleep in a while anyways. Usually I don't sleep this long. Oh, who was that Elizabeth girl anyways?"

"The princess of Liones. Cap told us to let you know that when you wake, we are going to get Diane's hammer in an arena place. Cap said not to worry about your anger for now, so we decided to wait until you woke up. Ready to head out?" Ban asks.

12

"Meliodas, why do I have to fight? You know I will let loose if the other people are getting angry," Devin tells his brother.

Devin and Meliodas are a short ways away from where the Boar's Hat sits. Meliodas decided to stop part ways, one of the reasons being that the group was quite bored of traveling. The hammer is still quite far away.

Devin is sitting on a rock, as he is a bit taller than the other boy. Both are watching the magic powered airplanes flying in the sky. Birds and other forest animals fill the isolated area with chirpings and rustling. Devin stares upwards, as he remembers his dream.

'Hey, I had another strange dream last night.."

"About?"

"Some kid told me that of Darkness that creates and destroys."

"Brother?"

Meliodas seemingly ignores the taller one, as the clouds block out the sunlight. His face remains obscured by his hair as he looks down towards the grass patches. Devin raises an eyebrow, just as he is jumped by someone.

"Yo!! Watcha talkin'~'bout?" Ban drunkingly asks.

"Nothing!" Meliodas says, as he smiles.

12

"Its been about ten years, how's running around and hiding?" King asks the dragon boy.

Often Devin would be in his dragon form, either as the size of a mouse or the size of a house, yet, he stayed 'human.' Devin growls at the fairy, causing King to jump a bit. Devin's face went red as his stomach growls.

"I will say how it's been when Ban is done with his drunkard stupor."

In the corner of the room, Ban was sleeping off a bottle of ale. Devin scowls at him, as Ban promised a bit earlier that he would cook him a good meal. Because of his shorter brother, Devin had to hunt and cook his own meals. Honestly, baked meat was becoming quite boring, and let the Demon and Goddess clans strike him down the next time he tried looking for good seasonings.

"Do you remember anything from that day?"

"No..."

"Running from the Holy Knights was quite hard, but I do remember seeing someone next to you. Some blue haired kid."

Devin looks alarmed at hearing this piece of news. Honestly, the more he tries remembering that day, his memory becomes much more disjointed as he tries differing techniques. He jumps up at the fairy, scaring him once again.

"What else do you remember??"

"Again, we all pretty much ran, so I didn't really pay attention..." King says, as he flies upwards, fearing another jump.

12

It neared dinner time once the drunk Ban woke up. He hazily looks around, seeing the annoyed dragon boy staring at him. He grins at him as he stands up, knowing what the kid was about to do. A swift kick sends him flying through the wall as the redhead kicks him. Meliodas, who is doing unspeakable things to Elizabeth, stares at his brother.

Just as the blond gropes Elizabth, the other wall comes tearing down, leading Meliodas and Devin to facepalm. Diane yells at the smaller man as she accuses him of not loving her. Elizabeth, feeling a bit violated, yet with the feeling the this has happened before, blushes. Ban walks in the front door, as Meliodas begins fixing up the holes.

"Y'know I missed this idiots cooking, brother," Devin says, as he chows down on Ban's cooking. "Also, can you tell me about what happened when I was sleeping?"

"As soon as Hawk's mom starts moving out. We still have a day or so until we are at the Vaizel Fight Festival," Meliodas says, grinning.

12

"We will begin with short version of what happened, because I know how much you hate long explanations!" Meliodas teases, knowing his brother would rather have a general idea instead of a lengthy story.

Diane walks next to the humongous pig as the others are either relaxing on pillows (King), trying to avoid a pervert (Elizabeth), being a pervert (Meliodas), or cooking for the redhead. Hawk just ate whatever Devin gave him. Devin yawns as the smaller begins with how much groping he did to Elizabeth, causing Hawk to scold the immature man.

"So, first off, Ellie and I went to a village to help with a sword problem. Being the best brother while you were asleep, I helped out the villagers. Then, we found out that Diane was in the Forest of Dreams," Meliodas began, letting the Giant tell Devin the rest.

"We had to fight Gilthunder, and of course, the Captain is sexy when he fights!" Diane shouts.

"Of course, that idiot got himself stabbed!" Hawk says.

"And that leads us to Ban!"

"I was in some prison for about five years. When the Cap decided to bust me out, I already~snuck out."

"Then, we decided to find King," Meliodas replies.

"I've been in the City of the Dead, nearby it at least. Ban helped me talk to Elaine..."

"I also drew all over one of those Holy Knights. It was very fun!"

"And that~lead to us~waiting until you woke up," Ban sings out.

"Looks like the sun is going down, lets rest for the night," Meliodas quietly says, his chipper personality diminished by the sunset.

"One question: How long was I asleep?"

"About a...month?" Meliodas replies.

"Can I kick you before I go to bed?"

Meliodas runs as the taller chases after him, earning nervous chuckles from the other Sins, Elizabeth, and Hawk.


	8. Really?

**Just a bit of na author's note: I have really been enjoying the Manga (and anime) of SDS, and making a twenty first century version is a bit hard. One thing that I will make clear is the fact that Meliodas, Elizabeth (if you are current with the chapters, Ellie is, in fact, a Goddes), and several of my other OCs (and other characters of the series) will be older than they are in the series.**

 **Another thing to note: I have terrible anxiety, so if any mistakes are made, its just because fifty thoughts or fifty chapters of ideas are going through my head.**

-12-

 ** _Really?_**

-12-

Quick running is heard throughout the small bar as a 'young teen' is seen running around. His red, bedhead hair brushing through the air, and under the fairy king and Ban, who is either flying or walking about the bar. Ban scratches his head, as King stares awkwardly at the naked boy. Neither still don't understand why the boy always wakes up with no clothing on, as clothing seems like a very important thing to him. A large scar marks an area of the boy, seeming from a sword from long ago. His red eyes seek out any of the clothing he and his...brother bought for himself.

"Brother! Where are all of my clothing?!" Devin yells.

"Should be on the third floor! Also, you woke Elizabeth up!" Meliodas yells back in response, for he still remains tied up, courtesy of a well cooked Hawk, er, a nice food captain named Master Hawk.

The redhead rushes up to the third floor, desperately searching for his clothing.

"Well, its not up here!" Devin yells back, trying to breath normally.

"Oh, I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

Meliodas ends up behind the taller, who had known about his brother's need to do crazy things for a while. Meliodas sheepishly scratches his head, as if trying to find out what to say next.

"All of your clothing...was kinda burnt to a crisp...last...night..." Meliodas says, causing the taller to glare at him.

"Should I run?" Meliodas asks.

"We'll get you clothes today before the festival! They have an arena, and I heard the night is the best time!" Meliodas offers.

"Run. Now."

With that, the other Sins stayed away from the warring brothers.

-12-

With the help of King and Hawk, Devin was finally given an outfit. Honestly, he would rather look like he was from the old times, as he now wore a light clothing commonly worn in times long since gone.

Meliodas still had a black eye from when the two fought. He felt quite happy with his healing, as his eye was looking less bad. Honestly, being hit by fire was never fun. Especially when the hitter had an unknown clan in him. Honest, he would figure out the secrets of his brother's other side, and save him from himself. For he promised to protect him until they came back, and honestly, he really just wanted to be done with everything. The only thing that kept him sane is his set path and oath to those he loved and loves.

'So, where are we going again?" Ban asks, for he woke from another drunked stupor.

As he felt the omoninous presence, he lazily looked over as flames and a foot sent him flying.

"Don't damage the fabric!"

-12-

After some time of telling Diane and Elizabeth to stay at the bar, the group of four, plus a pig, begin their journey in search of clothing. Meliodas carries a backpacj, which seemingly has several items in it. Oddly, even though the world was said to have great technology, any and all forms of data collected on the Sins were nonexistant. The Sins didn't know what to think of the posters of their battle forms from back then, and Devin honestly didn't like that they made his dragon form look monsterous. It made him quite annoyed that gentle, kind him wasn't respected much by the citizens of the world. Honestly, he just wanted to leave his brother[?] again, for he was beginning to forget certain things again.

As the group walked the town, they found a nice ice cream parlor. The ice cream shop, adaptly named 'Akuma Ice Cream Factory,' ( **AU: Ok, I have been reading D. Gray-Man a bit more than SDS. It's another awesome manga I like!** ) has many various kinds of ice cream. Debating on whether to enter, Devin was first to step in. Just as he enters, the sun begins to set. Meliodas, expecting this, watches as his 'brother' begins to fizzle. The other Sins, also knowing of his truth, watch as the taller boy begins to shrink, his eyes changing from an angry red to a fun blue. His hair length grows a bit passed his shoulders, and turns blue. His clothing disappears, as Meliodas gives the smaller one the backpack.

"Thanks for letting him transform here! Honestly, if we would have known that a friend of Merlin's was here, we probably would have come earlier!" Meliodas happily states.

"Cody Shadow's the name. I run this as a side project to my actual work. Which is top secret!" The dark haired man replies, a goofy grin on his face.

"Good, you didn't pick a dress this time," 'Devin' replies, stretching his arms behind his back to stifle a yawn.

"Of course, being frozen for a fortnight also isn't fun. You've been able to use your real body less and less, ne, Brother?" Meliodas asks.

"I hate that guy who controls me. I forgot a bunch of important things because of him and I don't even know what his name is!"

"Const, we will find a w-" Meliodas is interrupted.

"And that is where I come in. Your curse, one of them at least, is because of someone who hated you. Thus, they spiritually control you from somewhere else," the man begins.

"How about ice cream while talking about this. I would rather have something nice and cold in me, instead of burnt food brother cooks," Const replies, earning a playful tackle hug from the taller.

"Hey, don't keep us out of the loop!" Ban yells, annoyed. All he wanted was ice cream!

"Ok, let me guess on the flavors, then they will appear. Ban wants something that tastes like the flowers of the forest. King wants vanilla ice cream. Meliodas wants chocolate ice cream with Bernia Ale. Iceboy wants a gallon of Liones strawberry flavored ice cream, with whipped cream on top. And seeing as you are good friends of Merlin, it will be free," Cody says, as the needed ice creams float over to the four. "Oh, and the sir with you would like any leftover food I have."

Ban and King look shocked at the man. Years ago when their captain told them that they would find out that there are others out there that they could trust, none of them really believed him. As time went on, surprises were rare, the only big surprise being that the red dragon was not, in a sense, Meliodas' brother. In fact, the brother was only revealed when it became night.

"You warned 'Devin' your darkness, correct?" Cody began.

"Yea?" Const replies, eating his ice cream.

"You will have to let loose this time. No going back. If you do this, he will leave your body. If you don't, eh, he will stay and you guys won't be able to save Liones," Cody says.

"Do I get a say in this?" Hawk asks, in between bites.

"No!" Most of the Sins yell.

"So, I should fight in the battle? To let loose?" Const quietly says in between bites.

"Exa-" Cody begins.

"What if he lets loose? Ban and King know how hard it was to fight him. Heck, even I had to knock him out just last month! Although, he was 'Devin' at that point..."

"Don't _I_ get a say in this?" Const asks.

"No!" they all shout.

"Really?"


End file.
